There were times this summer when Andrew Peters wondered if his career as an NHL enforcer was over.He need not have worried. Despite the occasional cries to take fighting out of the game and rules changes designed to benefit smaller and faster skaters, Peters accepted a training camp tryout from the Devils and wound up getting a two-year contract.The 6-4, 240-pound winger was hoping to be in the Devils' lineup Saturday night when they opened the regular season against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Prudential Center.“There were definitely doubts. I can’t lie and say I wasn’t worried,” Peters said. “It was a little more reassuring that teams were still going to carry guys for that role when Colton Orr signed in Toronto, Donald Brashear signed in New York, David Koci signed in Colorado and Brian McGrattan signed in Calgary.“My agent was confident we’d get something done and I’d land somewhere. He didn’t panic this summer, so that kind of kept me at ease mentally, but it was definitely stressful.”With Eastern Conference teams like the Flyers showing some fight, the Devils were worried about being bullied this season. As it turns out, the Devils kept both Peters and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond on the roster.“I don’t know if they’re always going to play together. It will always deoend on the opponent and who they dress,” coach Jacques Lemaire said. “But with (toughness), I know we’re OK.”Brendan Shanahan lost his job, but the tough guys stayed to provide protection for Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brian Rolston.“I think every team started to realize you have to have one guy at least. We have two,” Peters said. “The game kind of took a change a little bit after the lockout with the rule changes. I think it’s starting to go back. I think people are realizing you have to have those type of people on your team to protect your skilled guys. It would make for a long season for those guys. You want Zach Parise and Travis and Jamie and Rolie to all feel comfortable out there knowing we’re there to protect them. “I definitely think it’s a big responsibility. Those guys are our key contributors for our offense. You really want them to know when they go on the ice they don’t have to worry. That’s the element P-L and I are going to try and bring. I’m happy to do it.”Peters, who played five seasons in Buffalo where he accumulated 557 penalty minutes in 200 games, makes his presence felt on the ice and in the dressing room.In a usually quiet Devils room, it is the voice of Peters that breaks the silence. He kids teammates, sometimes relentlessly.Rob Niedermayer was trying to record a message for the team’s radio station, but Peters kept bellowing: “Hello, I’m Rob Niedermayer…” “Hi, this is Rob Niedermayer…” Finally, Niedermayer stopped and asked for some quiet.“If you ask some of the guys, I try to throw out the wisecracks a little bit. Or a lot,” Peters acknowledged. “There is a time and a place for it. It’s a long season and it gets stale pretty quickly. I just want to keep guys on their toes and having fun. We’re all in this together.“This is a really tight group. I noticed that the second I came in the locker room my first day of training camp how tight these guys were and how well they got along. I was hoping I’d fit in and I think I have. I bring an element I think every locker room can use. You can’t have it all the time. But I think a little light-heartedness doesn’t hurt.” He is not so light-hearted on the ice.“You remember your losses more than you remember your wins,” Peters said. “It’s a tough job. You remember those guys who get the better of you. I’ve had some good ones and I’ve had some really bad ones. Hey, it’s part of the job. Every fighter has to lose once. I’ll leave it at that. You don’t necessarily have to be the toughest guy. You just have to be willing. I have a lot of respect for this role.”He hopes to bring more.“Energy. Obviously P-L and I have specific roles, but there’s more to hockey now than just that one-dimensional fighter,” Peters said. “You have to be able to play. You can’t fight every night. There’s not always a fight every night. You’ve got to contribute.”